Alice McDermott's new novel is about a young girl who witnesses a teenage love affair develop in her neighborhood. McDermott joins Fresh Air to discuss writing, memory, and growing up in the suburbs.
The franchise's newest installment, The Living Daylights, stars Timothy Dalton. Film critic Stephen Schiff says it's enjoyable enough, but its tone is too serious and sensitive for a Bond flick.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz shares his admiration for the Music & Arts Programs of America, a Berkeley-based record label that reissues classic performances from earlier in the 20th century.
Mary King served as the communications coordinator for SNCC during the Civil Rights Movement. Her new book, Freedom Song, talks about her experiences in that organization, including how its race and gender dynamics played out compared to other activist organizations.
Listeners will recognize Frankie Laine's voice from the opening sequences of Rawhide and Blazing Saddles. Laine also makes a career performing and recording pop, country and jazz tunes.
Linguist Geoff Nunberg says that, regardless of the language they're written in, newspaper headlines demand a mastery of colloquialisms and pre-existing knowledge of current events--making them difficult for non-native speakers to comprehend.
Rock historian Ed Ward profiles the rise and fall of soul singer Etta James, whose heroin habit curtailed her career after a string of fantastic albums.
While he served as a Party leader, Junius Irving Scales was arrested and convicted under the Smith Act. After his release from prison, Scales left the party after revelations over Stalin's actions in the Soviet Union. His new book, called Cause at Heart, recalls his work as a political activist.
Husband-and-wife writing team John and Marina Bear have a new book called How to Repair Food, which instructs home cooks on how to salvage failed recipes.
Book critic John Leonard says that all of Gunter Grass's work can be seen as a sometimes fanciful examination of his country's brutal history. Case in point: Grass's new book, The Rat, is a science fiction-inspired novel about the end of the world.
Only in his mid-thirties, Scott Turre is already a seasoned musician. Jazz critic Francis Davis says his latest album features Turre's newfound maturity as a soloist and arranger.
The filmmaker's first American movie, RoboCop, is a critical and commercial success. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his portrayal of graphic violence and his fascination with American culture and politics.
David Bianculli is in Los Angeles along with other television critics to preview the fall season. He says he's most excited about two ABC comedies and a new version of Star Trek currently in production.
Actress Carroll Baker launched her career with sexually-charged parts like title role of the film Baby Doll. Disillusioned with the Hollywood system, she moved to Europe. Now back in America, she writes books, including her newest novel, A Roman Tale.
British music critic and producer Leonard Feather worked with fellow producer John Hammond to desegregate jazz in the United States, as well as to promote women jazz musicians. In his new book, The Jazz Years, he considers how racism, radio stations and record labels affected the popularity of different styles like big band and bebop.
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews a new biography called The Dr. Ruth Phenomenon, about the popular sex therapist Ruth Westheimer. Westheimer is a Holocaust survivor and was wounded while fighting for Israeli independence. Stone says Westheimer's history of struggle and survival informs her sometimes fragmented career choices and sanitized public persona; while an imperfect spokesperson for the sexual revolution, Dr. Ruth deserves the fame she enjoys.
Writer John Krich is working on a book about baseball in Latin America. He is particularly interested in the sport's cultural role in countries dealing with armed conflicts and political upheavals.
Critic-at-large Stephen Schiff says that La Bamba, the new biopic about Ritchie Valens, is a whitewashed portrait of the late musician, and mostly lacks a rock and roll spirit.
Scott Turow received a $200,000 advance for his legal thriller Presumed Innocent. Despite his financial success, Turow, a practicing defense attorney, says that no one in their right mind should believe they can make a career solely as a writer.
